Ecowatt: An Electricity Weather Forecast To Avoid Blackouts This Winter

The energy crisis is causing France to face the threat of power cuts during the winter. But whether you are a private individual or a company, you can act to avoid this problem. You just have to follow the electricity weather forecast thanks to a device called Ecowatt. Explanations.

A tool launched by RTE

RTE, the French electricity transmission system operator, offers various online tools to find out about Electricity consumption in France at different scales (by city and by region).

This EDF subsidiary has also launched an electricity weather forecast and an alert system. This device, called Ecowatt, allows anyone to know the energy situation in France in real time.

A way to prevent cuts

The main objective of the Ecowatt device is to avoid power outages during the winter.

This year, providing electricity everywhere in France is likely to be a bit more complicated than usual. The demand for electricity is going to be high due to the gas crisis and it will be more difficult to meet it due to the unavailability of several French nuclear reactors.

The grid operator is already anticipating that our electricity system will be very strained during the coming winter. Even if the risk of a blackout is ruled out, RTE is not ruling out blackouts.

This is why the French are invited to follow the energy weather and adapt their Electricity consumption accordingly.

A color system

For the coming winter, certain parameters are uncertain, such as the weather, which has a major influence on the population's electricity needs. However, RTE considers that part of the risk of power cuts is manageable.

One of the levers to reduce this risk is the Ecowatt system. Generally described as an electricity weather forecast, it allows you to keep informed about the energy situation in your country and region.

You can consult the map of France on the website monecowatt.fr (link below). But the analogy with a weather report ends there... The system used is more like Bison futé for road traffic.

The energy situation is symbolized there by a color code :
- green when everything is fine
- orange when the situation becomes more complicated
- red if there is a risk of a blackout in the coming days.

The possibility of being alerted

If you want to stay informed about the energy situation in your area, you can:
- consult the map of 4-day consumption forecasts on the site below
- learn about hour-by-hour voltage moments on the same site
- sign up to be alerted by SMS or email in the event of peak consumption and risk of power cuts in France or in your region.

To register, you just need to indicate your cell phone number, your email address and your postal code. And of course, it is always possible to unsubscribe.

Thanks to this information system and the alert system by e-mail or SMS, RTE aims to save 5% of national consumption and up to 15% in the event of extreme situations.

So, if you want to help prevent power cuts this winter, don't hesitate to visit the monecowatt.fr website!

You will also find ecogestures to apply on a daily basis to reduce your electricity bill such as lowering your heating or postponing the use of your household appliances.

Thanks to these common sense tips, you will be able to save electricity at the right time, i.e. during high consumption periods, in the morning between 8am and 1pm and in the evening between 6pm and 8pm.

To note: a gas saving device comparable to Ecowatt for electricity should be implemented during October.